1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a battery management system and method. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to a method of detecting overcharge and over discharge of a battery management system that is capable of being used in a vehicle using an electrical energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles using a gas or diesel internal combustion engine cause pollution, such as air pollution. Recently, in order to reduce the pollution, intensive research has been conducted to develop electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles.
Electric vehicles use electric motors that are operated by electrical energy output from batteries. These electric vehicles use batteries that have a plurality of rechargeable battery cells formed into a pack, as a main power source. Electric vehicles can benefit the environment because they do not discharge polluting gases and they operate at a reduced noise level.
A hybrid vehicle is a cross between a vehicle using an internal combustion engine and an electric vehicle. A hybrid vehicle uses two or more power sources, for example, an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Hybrid vehicles that use an internal combustion engine and a fuel cell have been developed. A fuel cell facilitates a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to obtain electrical energy. In addition, hybrid vehicles that use a battery and a fuel cell have also been developed.
As mentioned above, in a battery powered electric vehicle the performance of the battery directly influences the performance of the vehicle. Therefore, a battery management system that efficiently manages the charge and discharge of the battery, by measuring the battery cell voltages and/or current, would be beneficial.
Related art methods of detecting whether the battery is overcharged and/or over discharged have shortcomings in that when an error occurs in a battery voltage detecting circuit, overcharge and/or over discharge of the battery can continuously occur.
The information disclosed in the Background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention and does not constitute prior art.